Obligatory 2009 Weight Loss Post

I was reading a recent article on Gwyneth Paltrow’s post-holiday “cleanse” (don’t judge me) and it got me thinking about how awful a fast/cleanse sounds BUT how much I’d love to eat better/lose weight/work out more/live right.

So I’ve decided to take some action – in fact I’m already on a kick of working out and eating healthier – but I need some help in tracking my intake/outtake.

I’ve narrowed my choices down to a few iPhone apps, since I always have that device on me when I work out. I’d prefer something that synchs with a desktop or web interface because I like charting and planning when I’m not actively on a machine. Plus, data entry on the iPhone can be a chore.

I’m not averse to paying a one-time fee of as much as $10, but I need your help. Comments and suggestions are welcome and encouraged.

Here’s the first-pass list. Help me make my decision:

I’ve used web-based systems for the Atlanta Challenge and I’ll use another for the upcoming Turner Fit Trip, but I’m looking for something personal that I can continue to utilize year-round.

I’m a firm believer that folks who weigh themselves regularly (daily) tend to keep off the pounds and even lose weight. My non-scientific, anecdotal data suggests that when I incorporate a morning scale stop in my routine I do well, when I don’t I gain weight.

So I’m already keeping an analog record of my daily (morning) weight in my moleskine, but I’d like more.

So, have at it. I’m open to any suggestions, up to and including The Biggest Loser Club (my Mom intrigued me enough with her fandom to watch tonight’s premiere) and I dig the show’s Body Buggs, but I wonder if I could get something similar from an iPhone app?

Anyhow, if you’ve got a system or application or site or method, please share it. I’ve got the motivation and the means, I just need a shiny toy to do the recording. 😉

5 thoughts on “Obligatory 2009 Weight Loss Post

  1. I don’t know about the iPhone apps, but Ellen and I both had huge successes using myfooddiary.com. It has a huge database of food both grocery and restaurant and also calculates exercise, and water intake. Once we hit our goals and retrained our bodies on how to eat, canceling was easy.

  2. I dropped 30 pounds on South Beach about a year and a half ago over a span of about eight or ten weeks. I don’t recommend this because I suspect (though I can’t prove) that the rapid weight loss is what ended up causing my gallstones. There is a drug a doctor can give you that will prevent formation of gallstones during rapid weight loss, but there are probably other negative side effects that make it a bad idea.

    A couple of concepts I took out of that experience have been helpful in keeping the weight off though. I avoid white bread and soft drinks, and cut down on beer and the sugar I put in my coffee. I had been using artificial sweetener for a while, but now I’ve gotten paranoid about foods containing ingredients I can’t pronounce.

  3. @Russell – I’ll check out myfooddiary.com for sure.

    @Rusty – Jenn and I have done both South Beach and Atkins in the past and lost about that amount of weight, but I didn’t like how it made me feel in the long term. I had more energy and seemed to run well, but my intestines and bowels weren’t pleased with me.

    We’re on basically whole wheat only breads already and I’m no raw sugar fiend, but I’m a terribly voracious snacker; meals I can handle.

    Basically, I just need something handy to help me tally foods and exercising and come up with a nice result (both on paper and the scale). I may stick with pen, paper or an Excel file for the short term.

    Thanks for the comments guys!

  4. Best of luck on your decision.

    I am obviously biased, but we designed Gyminee to help you do what you want. And, we have an active team that interacts with our users to make sure we build in features that are useful to you.

    I am happy to answer any questions about Gyminee and hope you chose us! An iphone web app is available, but a native iPhone app is on the way.

    Best wishes on your fitness goals.

    Andy
    Co-Founder, Gyminee

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